OP-ED: PLAYING THE ODDS: How Covid flipped South Africa's gambling industry overnight

2026-03-15 - 17:03

In March 2020, regular casino visitors across South Africa (SA) faced an abrupt change. Lockdown restrictions closed every casino in the country. These gamblers, suddenly confined to their homes, turned to their phones and downloaded betting apps like Betway and Hollywoodbets. Five years later, most of them haven’t returned to casinos.